CONSTRUCTION | MATERIALS
Recent advances in film and sheet for the construction market include increasing use of solar installations, grades with improved fire safety and polycarbonate sheet that uses recyclate
Building a future: new applications in construction
Film and sheet in construction applications can vary widely – from huge panels for sports stadiums to waterproof membranes and even organic (plastic-based) solar cells. Exolon has added two new products to its
Ecorange family of multi-wall and solid sheet. The new products – Reco and Recoplus – both
make use of recycled materials. Ecorange is a range of products that raise sustainability through a reduced ecological footprint. It currently comprises 12 Exolon, Vivak and Axpet products in four product ranges. Both pre- and post-consumer waste are recycled
to create the sheet material used in Reco and Recoplus. They use at least 40% ground material from the company’s own production and increase the renewable raw material content in as high as 89%. The polycarbonate products use a mass-bal- ance approach, with renewable raw materials being used at the beginning of the production chain as a replacement for fossil raw materials. Reco solid sheets comprise between 50% and
nearly 100% pre-consumer waste. This waste is generated after the sheets have left the factory, but
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before they are used in their final application – such as when cutting the final product. This reduces waste during post-processing and ensures greater use of resources.
Additive boost Tosaf has added a new compounding line at its production site in Alon-Tavor in Israel – allowing it to boost capacity of polycarbonate (PC) additive masterbatches for use in film and sheet. One recent development includes light diffuser masterbatches for both PC and PMMA. In addition, it has developed heat blockers for the near IR range (NIR blockers) and additives for creating matt surfaces with either a fine or rough structure. Both of the latter are intended to be applied to the surface of PC sheets by coextrusion, each in combination with a UV absorber. As a 50-100 micron top layer, they work more efficiently than when added directly to the bulk sheet, says Tosaf. It also offers two types of anti-block that are
tailored to prevent corrugated sheets from sticking together, allowing high efficiency even in small doses.
� November 2023 | FILM & SHEET EXTRUSION 29
Main image: A new line has helped Tosaf raise output of additives for polycarbonate
IMAGE: PALRAM
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