TECHNOLOGY | REINFORCEMENTS
Right: This shaving head is made in a 60% glass reinforced Durethan PA grade from Lanxess
of aluminium, CFRP better protects the battery from heat and cold. Furthermore, the material also provides optimal values for water and gas impermeability. NIO adds that the battery can be exchanged during everyday use at exchange stations it owns, many of which have already been set up along China’s highways. The process of exchanging an empty battery for a fully- charged one takes just three minutes.
Working in print Techmer PM has opened a carbon-fibre reinforced plastics production line to support the demands of the large-scale 3D printing industry. It has been working in collaboration with the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), the largest open science laboratory within the US government’s Department of Energy (DOE), since 2013 on joint research and development for large-part 3D printing or additive manufacturing (AM). The new high-capacity, twin-screw compounding line is installed at its Clinton facility in Tennessee. Other partners in the federal/private industry partnership include the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation
(IACMI), and machinery mak- ers Cincinnati Inc, Ther- mwood Corp, and Ingersoll Machine Tools. In the early stages of the collaboration, Techmer PM
produced small quantities of carbon-reinforced polymers that it
transported to ORNL for testing on its 3D printing equipment. In late 2014, ORNL printed a full-size car using Techmer’s 3D materials. This
Above: Reinforced compounds will play a key part in new hybrid parts such as this A-pillar for Porsche
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early collaboration demonstrated the potential of additive manufacturing, encouraging Technmer to invest to further the technology through the development of more sophisti- cated and specialised engi- neered materials. Electric razor shaving
head carriers are the latest application for the highly glass reinforced Durethan
COMPOUNDING WORLD | November 2019
DPBKV60H2.0EF polyamide compound from Lanxess. “Our polyamide 6 fulfils the strict requirements regarding rigidity, tough- ness and dimensional stability and ensures high-quality surfaces,” says Marc Marbach, Head of the E&E sales segment in the Lanxess High Perfor- mance Materials (HPM) business unit. The company says the DPBKV60H2.0EF grade provides high stiffness and
toughness, is dimensionally stable and resistant to moisturising creams, and provides a good surface quality despite its 60% glass content. The latter is due to its good flow characteristics, which also allow it to be used in highly complex parts with thin wall sections. The company claims flow and processing characteristics are similar to a typical 30% glass reinforced PA. Impact resistance is also a requirement for this
application as fully assembled razors have to withstand a drop from a height of one metre without damage. “Despite its high filler content, our polyamide 6 is so tough that the components made from this material do not break when they hit the ground,” says Marbach. The material also absorbs very little water and remains dimensionally stable throughout the entire lifetime of the razor. The shaving head carriers and blade holders are available in black as well as in painted versions. Some also feature a skin comfort coating, which contains metal pigments and is intended to ensure the shaving head glides more smoothly over the skin. “Our compound creates smooth and attrac- tive surfaces that are easy to paint and exhibit good paint adhesion,” says Marbach. “Another benefit is the polyamide’s strong chemical resist- ance to the ingredients used in shaving creams, soaps and care emulsions.” Lanxess says Durethan DPBKV60H2.0EF has become well established in lightweight automotive constructions such as front-end carriers, luggage compartment recesses, oil sumps, oil filter extrac- tion tools, transmission housings and chassis- strengthening structural inserts. It sees the move to electric vehicles offering enormous future potential for the compound in applications such as battery housings and carriers for electrical and electronic modules.
Hybrid opportunity Reinforced thermoplastic compounds are also ben- efiting from the growing interest in lightweight
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