COMPOSITES | LFTs


and LubriOne PKE polyketone-based materials Avient introduced in 2021. Like them, they are semi-crystalline and are characterised by good chemical resistance, low moisture uptake, and levels of dimensional stability similar to PA66. The grades also offer a carbon footprint reduction; Avient claims PKE’s carbon footprint is 61% less than PA66 and 46% less than PA6. “This development represents a proactive


Above: The strand forming module in IPS Intelligent Pelletizing Solutions’ eight-strand demonstration LFT production line


products, [LFTs] are able to reach the same properties but, for example, at much higher temperatures.”


Although new to LFT production lines, IPS has a


long track record in pelletising system design and development and recently launched its own twin screw extruder line. “For sure we made this decision to be able to deliver a complete LFT-line and I think we made the right choice,” Weis says. “We have a lot of enquiries and the interest in


our products is rising. The strength of IPS is the flexibility, the customer service and the customised intelligent solutions. Our customers appreciate that we are reachable and fast in our reaction time. We are able to keep this strength for single machines and complete systems like the IPS-LFT HP system,” he says.


Aside from its proven pelletising technology,


Right: Avient has extended its Complet LFT product line to include grades based on polyketone, which it is targeting at industrial applications


Weis says its LFT lines feature an unwinding module that has been engineered to provide tight tension control at each winding point. This allows it to handle multiple fibre types—Weis expects to see increased demand for hybrid production systems that can combine both glass and carbon fibres in one LFT strand to meet cost performance goals. The IPS-LFT-HP lines also include an impregnation module designed to handle PP, PA, and PPA resins with no more than a die plate change.


Polyketone LFTs Late last year, Avient announced an expansion of its Complet range of LFTs to include polyketone (PK) based versions. The Complet PKE products are expected to appeal to customers looking for very good mechanical performance in demanding cold environments, where they can provide alternatives to PA and POM based compounds. The Complet PKE grades join the Edgetek PKE


34 COMPOUNDING WORLD | March 2023 www.compoundingworld.com


response to demands from our customers in oil and gas, transportation, and industrial industries looking for next-generation engineered materials with a property retention as low as -22°F [-30°C] for pipes, tubing, fluid management and more,” says Eric Wollan, General Manager of Avient’s Plasti- Comp business unit. Complet PKE materials are available with 30-50% long glass fibre content, allowing perfor- mance to be optimised for specific applications. They are manufactured in the US and can be supplied globally. Avient also extended its Complet REC line of


LFTs containing recycled resins last year. The original PA6-based grades are now joined by versions based on PA66 and TPU matrix resins containing post-industrial recycled content —25-100% for PA66 grades and 25-75% for TPU versions. Wollan says the new grades continue Avient’s commitment to sustainable solutions. They offer properties comparable to standard PA66 and TPU LFTs based on virgin resin and are available globally in black and natural colour and using glass, carbon and hybrid fibre reinforcement systems. Japan’s Polyplastics last year introduced its


Plastronline of LFTs, which are reinforced with formulated regenerated cellulose fibres. According to the company, regenerated cellulose fibres are a lightweight reinforcement option that, because


IMAGE: IPS INTELLIGENT PELLETIZING SOLUTIONS


IMAGE: AVIENT/GETTY IMAGES


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