MATERIALS | ETPs AND COMPOSITES
Right: Exel supplied fibreglass profiles for a series of
electric buses made by Yutong of China
tubing, and achieving this compliance did not alter our end product in any way. Chemical structure and mechanical properties of the polyimide tubing products remain unaffected.”
Composite bus panels Finnish composites producer Exel Composites has provided fibreglass profiles for a range of electric buses from Yutong of China. The profiles – made using pultrusion – were used on a fleet of 33 buses that were delivered to Finnish bus and road operator Pohjolan Liikenne in Helsinki, Finland. Exel provided Yutong with the skirt and side panels for the buses. “With Yutong’s aim to produce more environ- mentally public transport – and Finland’s aim to reduce carbon emissions by five million kilograms a year – composite materials are one of the key materials to help accomplish this,” said Kathy Wang, head of the North Asia sales region at Exel Composites. The delivery of the electric buses is the first time
that Yutong has entered the Finnish market. It is also the largest volume of buses that Finland has purchased from overseas. The country aims to have 400 electric buses operating in Helsinki by 2025. “The light weight of fibreglass was important to
Below: The first US gas pipe installed under the PHMSA Mega Rule used Evonik’s Vestamid NRG polyamide 12
this project, as it reduces operating costs and helps to increase energy efficiency and environmental sustainability,” said Wang. “Our composite profiles are resistant to deformation, chemicals and harsh road environments. Repairing fibreglass is straight- forward and can be done in the depot. This means that the overall lifetime and operational mainte- nance costs of the buses is decreased.”
Lighting the way Elkamet, a German producer of lighting compo- nents, has begun using polycarbonate resin from SABIC’s Trucircle portfolio of renewable products.
Elkamet makes extruded lighting products, including transparent tubes and profiles, from a range of engineering plastics. It will use the Lexan polycarbonate grades for a number of end applications for the lighting industry. “We are the first in the lighting industry to offer an alternative for our customers in order to keep up with the trend towards more sustainability in the development of plastic components,” said Lukas Platt, of Elkamet’s sales department. “Diffusors/ covers are one of the biggest parts of a luminaire that are made of plastic. By producing them using renewable resources, lighting manufacturers can make a huge sustainability impact.” Elkamet has also been ISCC certified, to give customers proof of a sustainable supply chain.
Nylon award At last year’s Plastics Pipe Institute (PPI) annual awards, the winning project in the energy systems division was an installation featuring Vestamid NRG polyamide 12 from Evonik. A utility in Henderson, Kentucky made the first
installation under the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA) Mega Rule, which went into effect in January of 2019. It allows PA12 pipelines to be installed without special permission. Previously, any high-pressure gas lines (up to 250 psig) made of PA12 would require special approval.
Henderson Municipal Gas (HMG) laid a total of
2,720 ft of Vestamid NRG 2101 pipeline in several steps through an industrial area using horizontal directional drilling (HDD). An HDD contractor pulled the PA12 through slurried bored holes and work crews fused the sections together. PA12, which is more ductile and lighter than steel, made HDD installation easier than it would have been with steel pipe. “The welding required to join steel pipe sections on this project would have required additional manpower, a longer time-frame, and frequent traffic interruptions,” said Owen Reeves, gas system director at HMG.
20 PIPE & PROFILE EXTRUSION | January/February 2021
�
www.pipeandprofile.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44
